Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Writing

Would you believe that I just started writing as a way to stave off boredom between my first and second semesters of college?

Well, maybe. I guess every person who considers themselves a writer has to start somewhere.

I dabbled in writing before college. I wrote angsty poems, little bizarre stories and papers for my English classes. I got Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul in the fifth grade for Christmas and reread it until the covers fell off. I forced other people to read my teenage amateur poetry online. (Not that my poetry is perfect now, but it's a lot better.)

But I didn't take my writing seriously until college. Being bored and unstimulated forced me to write and post one of my ideas on a forum. Everyone liked it.

Then I wrote another one of my ideas. My readers liked it even more. Looking back, the draft wasn't very good, but it's definitely one of my better ideas and I got the idea of a trilogy out of the book.

Now I consider myself to be a writer. I have plenty of ideas and unfinished books, poems and short stories. I don't write every day, even though I should. I should finish and edit and submit pieces to get my name out there. I should try to get into the habit of writing every day, even it's only a couple hundred words.

Maybe in ten years, I'll have a few books published and can be a writer in name. Only time will tell.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

What Introversion Is

Ignore the INFJ thing. After more research into the individual functions, I discovered that I was an INFP instead. I'll be covering that in future posts.

I just want to briefly discuss what introversion is. This is mostly fueled by the spotlight on Susan Cain, who just published a bestselling book on introversion, and which I have only skimmed part of on Amazon.com. She also recently gave a TED talk about the benefits of introversion.

What introversion is not:
- shyness
- being antisocial
- hating people
- snobbery

The simplest definition of introversion is getting energy from solitude, quiet and solitary activities. Reading, writing, gardening, knitting, etc. are all introverted activities.

Introverts are more stimulated by socialization and so need time alone to recharge. Then we go out and fulfill our socializing requirements. (Of course, not all introverts want to be social and they may hate being around people, but there is a stereotype about introverts being shy, anti-social, people-hating snobs.)

There are social introverts and shy introverts. There are also shy extroverts and social extroverts.

Introverts can be found in all walks of life. They are teachers, waiters, salespeople, lawyers, accountants and preachers. They are spouses, parents, singles. They are everywhere, even in an extroverted society like the US.

Another thing about introverts are that their discoveries have led to the progression and entertainment of society. Isacc Newton, Albert Einstein, Harper Lee, Bill Gates, Audrey Hepburn, and Julia Roberts are just among many of the introverts who have used their gifts to the world.

Introverts are the deep thinkers, the scientists, the artists, the writers and the philosophers. They are often the ones who question society or create things that improve society as a whole.

In other words, don't underestimate introverts.

Susan Cain's lecture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yyeJ1jaGDU